Local eateries capitalizing on Pittsburgh cuisine

When the well-known food writer Andrew Knowlton recently declared Pittsburgh to be America's next big culinary destination in his monthly Bon Appetit magazine column, more than a few incredulous foodies raised an eyebrow. But a quick look around the Cape Fear region seems to suggest he's on to something.In the pantheon of Pittsburgh cuisine, few dishes garner the deity-like adoration of the pierogi. And 2014 is off to a rollicking start for the humble dumpling, with several area restaurants showcasing the delicacy.Oak Island's succinctly named Pierogies (8017 E. Oak Island Dr.) joins New Hanover County's Joe's Oasis (6400 Carolina Beach Road) in serving from-scratch versions in their recently opened eateries. Whiskey Trail at the Creek's (4039 Masonboro Loop Road) has had them on the menu since opening in 2009, and the recently closed Boardwalk on Front sold them as well. The late Crow Hill even had a Southern fried spin stuffed with sweet potatoes and topped with sage butter and truffle oil.Little more than a disk of dough stuffed with fillings that can range from potatoes and cheese to prunes, pierogies are traditionally considered a peasant food in their native Eastern European countries. But to Western Pennsylvania transplants far from home, it's also the salve that softens the blow when the Steelers lose. "When we're trying to comfort ourselves and want to conjure up Pittsburgh, it's the perogi," said Pittsburgh Post-Gazette food editor Bob Batz Jr. "It's one of our most important, iconic foods. It's really everyone's go-to."It's also a labor-intensive process. Seasoned pierogie maker Dave Landgreen, the head chef at Joe's Oasis, can roll, stuff and fold about four dozen per hour. And that's with over 30 years of experience. New trainees, if they're good, might do half of that.Landgreen's dough recipe, a closely guarded secret handed down from his Ukrainian grandmother, Pearl Kiniuk, features at least one undisclosed ingredient in addition to the fundamental flour, water, egg and salt. An intensely repetitive bit of cookery, Landgreen hits a near meditative state when deeply in the groove. "It gives you a lot of time to think," he said while preparing a cheese and potato version recently.While pierogies are closely associated with Poland, Joe's Oasis owner Cathy Krisner said most people of Eastern European heritage are familiar with them in one form or another. "If you look at a map, those borders have changed so much over the years. All those countries had so much crossover," she said. "I think every nationality has some kind of pocketed food like it." A visit to Pierogies, Merle and Debbie Waddingham's Brunswick County restaurant, feels like a stop at the beach, with nautical décor adorning the walls. But the smell is pure Pittsburgh, as a heady air of onion, kielbasa and sauerkraut wafts through the cozy, take-out only establishment. It's an unusual fit for a beach community, but one that seems to be finding traction. "The local people are a bit confused. They don't know what it is," Debbie Waddingham said. "But with so many Northerners coming down here, it's been going over great."Her own recipe is a hand-me-down that goes back at least three generations, and Waddingham is equally protective of her techniques. The only detail she'd willingly reveal is that the crimping around the rim of each generously stuffed semicircle is created by a machine.Waddingham serves her pierogies boiled, a contrast to both Joe's Oasis and Whiskey Trail, where the dumplings receive a quick sizzle on the griddle before plating. One thing they all have in common, however, is the topping. Because it would be unfair to gloss over this detail, nobody turns to pierogies for their remarkable health benefits. Served properly, expect to find them, possibly literally, swimming in a pool of butter topped with sautéed onions. And because that's only almost enough food to fuel a robust steel worker, add a side of sour cream for good measure. "It's real rib-sticking food," Waddingham said. But that doesn't mean there isn't a finesse to preparing them. Whether boiled or fried, stuffed with the traditional potatoes or Southernized with pulled pork and collard greens, there's one critical way to determine if the pierogies on your plate qualify as "good" ones."They're so simple. It's like any other food, it's very subjective. These things aren't meant to be dainty or delicate, but you don't want them to be little cannonballs either," food editor Batz said with the authority of someone who's spent decades both writing about, and enthusiastically eating, pierogies. "It comes down to the pastry – not too thick, not too thin." Just be sure to carry a box of Tic Tacs if you're making a business lunch of it. It would be a shame to pass on all those onions.

Paul Stephen: 343-2041On Twitter: @pauljstephen

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